Boosting Student Engagement with Interactive and Practical Teaching Methods

• By Dr. Lucas Long
• 10/09/24

After more than a decade of teaching in both private and public universities, one thing is clear to me: Traditional teaching methods like slide-to-slide PowerPoint presentations no longer engage students in the way they used to. Today's students, especially in large public university classes, often struggle to stay focused, and for good reason. Many students disengage during traditional lecture-based lessons, opting to self-study from the textbook. This has prompted me to rethink my approach to teaching and find more engaging, interactive methods to help students grasp complex concepts.

Over the past couple of years, I've embraced a more dynamic approach to teaching, incorporating technology and real-life scenarios to make lessons more relatable. For instance, in my Managerial Finance class of over 50 students this semester, while teaching the Time Value of Money (TVM) using financial calculators, I found that going through textbook problems wasn't holding my students' interest. Instead of sticking with the routine examples, I decided to introduce something that felt more relevant to them. I created a scenario based on the popular Spider-Man movie series: "Aunt May wants to save for Peter Parker's college tuition in five years, and the interest rate is 6%. How much does she need to save today to have $25,000 in five years?"

This example not only entertained the students but also made the concept of TVM more accessible. Additionally, by introducing a visual aid — such as a meme featuring Aunt May using a financial calculator (created by AI) — students were more engaged and actively participated in solving the problem. This method wasn't just about entertaining students but about bridging the gap between abstract financial concepts and the practical, real-world decisions they would eventually face.

Bringing Real Life into the Classroom

One of my biggest goals as an educator is to show students how the material they learn in class can be applied to real-world situations. In my finance courses, this often means taking what we're learning about financial calculations and connecting it to decisions they'll have to make as adults. For example, I've used real-life scenarios like buying a car with a loan, paying off student debt, saving for a wedding, or calculating mortgage payments for a future home purchase. I even use salary data to show students what they could realistically afford given average salaries after graduation, helping them relate to the financial decisions they will face after college.

These practical examples don't just keep students engaged; they also demonstrate the immediate value of learning financial principles. I often hear students express frustration when they feel like they're learning concepts that won't apply to their lives. But when I use real scenarios and provide tools like financial calculators to show them exactly how they'll use this knowledge in their future, their attitude changes. They become more motivated to engage with the material because they see its relevance beyond the classroom.

Interactive Platforms for Real-Time Engagement

The pandemic gave me an opportunity to experiment with online learning platforms like Quizizz and Kahoot!, and these tools have remained a staple of my teaching approach even after returning to in-person classes. Quizizz in particular has been a game changer. It allows me to upload my PowerPoint slides and seamlessly insert questions directly into the lecture. Whether it's fun trivia or problem-solving questions related to the material, these activities keep students on their toes.

Quizizz's real-time engagement features also help me check for understanding during the lecture. Students are required to complete questions before advancing to the next slide, ensuring they stay involved throughout the class. It's also a great way to check attendance and encourage participation, as students have to engage with each activity to keep moving through the lesson. This method creates a more active learning environment, where students aren't just passively listening — they're constantly interacting with the content.

Jeopardy-Style Review Games for Exam Prep

One of my favorite class activities involves transforming the usual exam review into an engaging, Jeopardy-style game. I upload key topics from our study guide and create questions of varying difficulty to mimic the type of questions students will encounter on their midterms. The game turns review sessions into a fun, competitive experience where students actively participate rather than merely listening to me go over the material.

The results of these Jeopardy review sessions speak for themselves. Students are much more likely to retain the material when they're engaged in the review process. Instead of the passive environment that traditional reviews tend to create, these sessions spark excitement, camaraderie, and, most importantly, confidence as students prepare for their exams.

Conclusion

The world of education is changing, and we need to adapt our teaching methods to meet the needs of today's students. In my experience, a combination of practical examples, interactive technologies, and real-time engagement tools can dramatically improve student learning outcomes and keep them more engaged in the classroom.

By bringing in real-life scenarios that students can relate to and using interactive tools to maintain their attention, educators can ensure that their students leave the classroom not just with the knowledge to pass exams, but with practical skills they can apply to their daily lives. This approach has transformed the way I teach — and my students' feedback has made it clear that it's a method that works.